Sir:

The Consul General of France has long been endeavoring to obtain an exact Account of what and how much each State Annually Exports of her own Growth & Manufacture, and has obtained it from every other State but North Carolina. And as I am sure it can be productive of nothing but good to the State that her Exports should be known to him and thro' him to his Nation, I take the Liberty of requesting that your Excellency will be pleased to direct the several Naval Officers to transmit to the Delegation of North Carolina in Congress without delay, an Exact account of each and every Article Exported from that State in the years 1785 & 1786, of her own Growth and Manufacture, Certified under their hands with their Official Capacities. The States in General publish in the Newspapers an Account of their Annual Exports; South Carolina has lately published hers in which the utmost particularity has been observed, even to Naming the Class of the Vessel, that is whether Ship, Brig or any other kind, and the Nation to which each Vessel belonged in which any of their produce was Exported.